The present invention pertains to toggle bolts. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a toggle bolt assembly having a retainer bushing for preventing pivotal motion or "wobbling" of the bolt during and after installation of the assembly to mount an object on a wall or other support member. In certain embodiments, the retainer bushing includes means resulting in restraining rotation of the winged toggle member as the threaded bolt member is rotated to thread the bolt member into the toggle member. Thus, the bolt member can be driven by a powered screwdriver. Further, the retainer bushing of the present invention assures that the threaded bolt is positioned substantially at the center of the mounting hole. As a consequence, the retainer bushing also facilitates mounting of large objects which require more than one toggle bolt assembly to secure them to a wall, since the ability to closely center the threaded bolts within their respective holes permits easy alignment of the plural toggle bolt assemblies. The retainer bushing additionally results in a more aesthetically pleasing appearance to a fully installed toggle bolt assembly on the wall or other support surface.
Toggle bolts have been utilized for many years to mount objects on a wall or other support surface; however, several problems exist with prior art toggle bolts. First of all, in many applications, it is highly desirable that the toggle bolt be restricted from pivotal movement with respect to the wall during installation of the bolt. It is likewise desirable that the bolt be restricted from pivotal movement after installation is completed. Second, in installing many prior art toggle bolts, it is often necessary to pull the toggle bolt outwardly while turning it, in order to hold the toggle wings against the interior surface of the wall on which the toggle bolt is being installed so as to prevent the winged toggle member from rotating. Such installation is cumbersome and slow. Further, because the hole through which the winged toggle member is inserted through the wall is, of necessity, larger than the thread diameter of the bolt, the bolt may end up tightened off-center in the hole, with the result that the object being mounted is not positioned exactly as desired. Although this mis-positioning may involve only a small fraction of an inch, it can detract from the appearance or adversely affect the operation of the mounted object. Additionally, in applications where more than one toggle bolt is to be utilized to fasten an object to a wall, even small mis-positioning of the several toggle bolts can prevent proper installation. Consequently, confinement of each bolt to a predetermined position within its hole and perpendicular to the plane of the wall is necessary to properly align the several toggle bolt assemblies. Also, in many applications of toggle bolts, it is desirable that following installation of the toggle bolt, the wall and mounted bolt present an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Although improvements, even quite recently, in toggle bolts have been made, these improvements have not completely eliminated the foregoing problems. Examples of such prior toggle bolt assemblies are shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,392,763, 3,389,631, and 2,024,871. The toggle bolt assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,763 includes a spool piece having a leg extending axially therefrom and having a central bore for passage of a threaded bolt therethrough. This assembly suffers from a number of shortcomings. The leg requires that the cavity or open area behind the wall be of a depth to permit insertion of the leg. On the other hand, there is nothing to prevent the spool from passing completely through the hole in the wall and falling within the cavity. The toggle bolt assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,631 has a resilient plug member which is tapered to fit snuggly into the hole in the wall. The threaded toggle member includes a pair of hooks which penetrate the plug member. As a consequence, if it is no longer desired to use the toggle bolt, the threaded bolt member can be taken out, but the plug and the toggle member cannot be removed without undue effort, such as drilling out the plug and the pair of hooks. U.S. Pat. No. 2,024,871 shows a toggle bolt having a sleeve which snuggly engages the hole through the wall, but the sleeve is of considerably greater diameter than the bolt, and so the bolt can pivot or wobble within the sleeve and may end up mounted off center within the mounting hole.